


Minty Heartstrings

by VomitCenter



Category: Cookie Run (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Awkward Crush, Content approved by S.C.A.R., Fluff, M/M, Pining, Secret Crush, Shotacon, might get a second chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27846614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VomitCenter/pseuds/VomitCenter
Summary: After a private performance for Cheesecake cookie, Mint cookie bumps into a certain young newspaper boy that he became enamoured with.
Relationships: Mint Choco Cookie/Chestnut Cookie (Cookie Run)
Kudos: 8
Collections: Sin Corps





	Minty Heartstrings

**Author's Note:**

> This was a sort of test to see how good I became at writing by myself if I gave some effort into it, to me it turned out pretty neat so...hope you people like it aswell ^w^

It was a cold, cloudy day. A cloud pelican swarm was loudly screeching as they passed by Cheesecake cookie’s estate. The noise made a certain young boy who was resting nearby begrudgingly awake, his eyelids heavy from last night’s shift.  He only sold three newspapers yesterday, not enough to buy himself breakfast, so he’ll have to get straight to business first thing in the morning.

“I hope Pudding cookie comes back soon…”

Chestnut’s best friend, Pudding cookie, went off with her sisters to “spread joy and cheer” as she put it. The boy knows it was just an excuse for her to go and search out Gingerclaus before christmas. He overheard the girl mumbling that she wanted Gingerclaus to bring Chestnut cookie the best present ever for this year in her sleep.  He noticed some of his writing ink and a piece of paper missing just before she left. While it was incredibly rude of her to take things without asking, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her trying her best to write by herself and hand deliver the letter for his sake.

A big minus about her leaving was that he was once again, all alone.  No one to help him out during his route or nightly advertising. No one to talk to and play with before falling asleep in the cold weather.  Chestnut cookie sighed, he’ll just have to put up with this for a while again.

While he prepared his bike, the gates to Cheesecake cookie’s mansion opened. “Bye bye~ Come visit moui again soon~!” The rich cookie yelled as she waved Mint cookie goodbye. Mint cookie bowed just before he left, making Cheesecake swoon from his gentlemanly as ever behavior.

As Mint was about to leave, he noticed Chestnut struggling to pull out his bike out of the sugar snow. A large snowstorm blasted last night, the streets and houses covered in piles and piles of the sugary dust showed how hefty it was.

_ ‘Was he out here all night?’  _ Mint cookie worried.  Chestnut stumbled back after succeeding in pulling it out, bumping against Mint cookie’s legs. “Ow...Ah- Sorry mister.” He quickly apologized. Mint cookie silently observed the boy quickly grabbing his bike and pedaling off. 

The boy seemed so polite and hardworking, so cute and with a smile that could melt even the coldest of frozen hearts. The musician felt his baked heart strings tighten.  Before he went on his way home he greeted his personal friend and No. 1 fan, Cocoa cookie, questioning her about the newspaper boy.  “Chestnut cookie? Oh he’s a sweet little thing, I always offer him a cup whenever he brings me the paper Sadly, he often refuses due to his job.” 

“A young cookie his age working such a taxing job…” Mint muttered with a solemn expression, feeling a strong sense of pity. 

It’s not often that you get baked alongside a parent or guardian figure in the witch’s oven, so it can be a tough world for the child cookies of the world. Peppermint has Captain Ice, Onion has Adventurer and Blackberry, but Chestnut has to rely on his own in this world it seems. “When does his route usually end?”  Cocoa cookie carefully thought about it. “Honestly I’m not sure. unless he’s with Pudding or one of her sisters, he works all day with few lunch breaks here and there. I really wish he would take more care of himself instead of being such a workaholic…” Cocoa cookie sighed, “He’s always delivering with a smile though, Chestnut really seems to love his work.”

The more Mint cookie learned about the boy the more he felt attached to him. A warm melody brewing in his mind. An orchestra all for the young cookie. 

Mint bowed before leaving Cocoa, determined to arrange a wonderful piece for Chestnut. He opened the case of his favourite violin and fiddled around on the way.

Mint began with a solemn set of notes, “No…Too saddening.” Maybe a more upbeat tone instead? “No...Too obnoxious for a start.” Then maybe something more sophisticated, “No...This seems like something I would rather compose for Cheesecake.” The musician struggled to find a good beginning for this piece.  Fact of the matter is, he doesn’t know enough about Chestnut, unsure of what melody would fit the young one best. Mint is a perfectionist, only the most ideal and flawless sound is allowed to be performed.

He’ll have to find out more about the boy. Question is: How?

According to Cocoa, Chestnut is a complete workaholic who takes very few breaks. So Mint will have to try and spend time with him during one of these few breaks. Mint cookie disguised himself and quietly followed Chestnut cookie during his route, he wouldn’t call it stalking per say, simply studying his current muse.

Two hours into his mission, Chestnut stopped and held his stomach. “Ow, ow, ow...Should’ve known skipping breakfast was a bad idea.” The young boy lamented. Mint cookie considered this to be a good time to walk up to him, but soon after Chestnut stood up again. “Whew, just a few more rounds and I’ll get myself some warm jellies.”  Despite his exhaustion and pain, the young boy pushed on.

Mint felt both a sense of sympathy and admiration for the hardworking boy, his heart fluttering like one of Cream Unicorn’s butterflies.  He’s never felt like this before. Not with Cocoa, not with Cheesecake. He felt similar to how Macaron feels towards Marshmallow. 

Mint cookie absconds, his face flushing with embarrassment as his feelings became apparent to him.

But Chestnut is still a young boy, he shouldn’t be feeling like this towards him. It finally made sense to him as to why he suddenly felt this sense of attachment with a cookie he knows next to nothing about, Mint felt ashamed of himself.  Just as he left, his mask that he wore as a disguise fell off, landing in the white sugar snow. It lay there in the frozen streets until a young boy with a chestnut hat picked up while pedaling to the nearest jelly stand.

The days passed, Mint was feeling more and more melancholy. Cheesecake even commented how his usual majestic melodies were more depressing than his usual somber symphonies.

Mint went into a rut, burnout and musical art block hindering him from performing. 

Cocoa frequently visited him, drinking hot chocolate cups together in an effort to cheer him up, but it was no use. The musician’s heart felt like it broke in two, saddened that he had to break off a potential romance before it even started.  He found himself trying to find new inspiration by taking a trip away from town thanks to Cheesecake cookie’s suggestion, spending time in the sands of Yogurca.  Yogurt cookie, unaware of Mint’s usual performance, clapped and cheered as Mint performed. “I don’t understand what Cheesecake was talking about, that was a wonderful arrangement!”

Mint looked down. He didn’t deserve praise for such a halfhearted act, he didn’t have the right to sull his precious violin like that. He felt himself spiralling further and further into a depressive state.  He, politely with a bow, prepared to give up playing at all.  Just as he felt like he was about to give up, he heard the sounds of bells and chatter of young girls outside on the streets. 

“I told you, Gingerclaus never takes vacations!” The youngest sister says. “He’s a hard worker just like Chestnut cookie.” 

“Pilot cookie must’ve mistaken him with someone else.”

The three members of the quadruplets agree, the only one shaking her head being Pudding cookie. “Nooo! He has to be here somewhere! How else am I gonna give him my letter?”

“Excuse me,” Mint cookie approached the Pudding quadruplets. “but did you just mention Chestnut cookie?” The four girls looked at eachother, the man seemed familiar. One of them recognized him. “Ah, you’re that famous violinist who always plays for really important people.”  Mint cookie nodded. “That statement does ring true in a sense.” 

The four girls surrounded him and asked him to play his music for them,”Please, please, pleeeease!” They begged. Mint cookie shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m giving up the violin.”  Pudding cookie and her sisters gasped in shock. “B-But why? Don’t you like playing it?” He nodded at the girl’s question. “I do, but as I am now, I  _ can’t _ play anymore.”  The girls didn’t exactly understand what he meant, but Pudding recognized the look in his eyes. “...You look kinda like Chestnut cookie did.” The tall dark cookie’s eyes went wide. “I...do?”

Pudding cookie went on to explain, “You see, me and my sisters are on our way to find Gingerclaus, we wanna give him this.” She handed over a letter to Mint. “Chestnut has been looking and more upset with his job, he used to love delivering the papers no matter how cold or difficult it got, but, now he often pedals with a fake smile...I don’t like seeing him like this.”

This is the first time Mint has heard of this, from what he observed and what Cocoa told him his smile seemed genuine. It only showed that he truly knew nothing of the boy that took his heart.

“May I open the letter?” He politely asked Pudding. “Sure, we won’t find Gingerclaus here anyway…”

Pudding cookie’s letter reads as follows:  


\---

  
‘ **Dear GingerkLaus, my fren chesnut, haz Been very sad :(**

**he reaLy reaLy wans to go on an adventur like adventur coogie, deLiverin papers does not sem very adventure ish, maybe he gots bored**

**when we pLey he Stops to go back to work but he Doesnt like doing work, pLease heLp chesnut and make his sadnes go away!!!**

  
  


**From: Pudding coogie :)** ‘

\---

The letter has a lot of spelling mistakes and punctuations missing but the heart was there, Mint felt the amount of effort Pudding gave into the letter. “I’m sure Gingerclaus would’ve loved to fulfil your wish, little one.”

“Hehe, thank you, Mister!”

The four girls and Mint cookie chatted a bit more before they hurried back to the Christmas inspired town. The musician thought about that letter more and what Pudding cookie had told him. This was the perfect motivator he needed.

He spent time in the prince’s bedroom for an entire week, composing a piece that was no longer just him attempting to swoon Chestnut, but to pick him up and motivate him. He can’t just throw away his line of work during a rut like Mint, that was a privilege that he simply couldn’t afford like the dark cookie.  Maybe that was part of the reason he’s feeling so upset about his passion lately, he feels trapped. 

In the letter Pudding wrote, she mentioned him wanting to be an adventurer. With that in mind Mint went for a more largo esque tone at the start before shifting into allegro halfway through.

The problem with music is, not everyone understands it. Just like other sets of sounds it can work as a language. It’s a very specific language however, something that can’t be expressed with lyrics, poems or calligraphy, unspoken words that have to come from the heart.

Mint cookie isn’t sure whether or not Chestnut will understand, whether his efforts will be a waste and he’ll just scare the boy off. Anxiety or not, he is determined to pull through with this.  With each new composition he made sure to show it off to Yogurt and several other of his friends, as well as getting feedback from his fellow musicians, Rockstar and DJ. They might not be a huge fan of or play the same genre as Mint, one thing cannot be unchanged however, they all understand the emotion and language that melodies can give.

When they asked him why he’s trying so hard, he wasn’t sure how to answer. The two smiled and understood that whatever it is, their friend needs them.

Constant rewrites and recycling, sometimes he even scrapped the whole piece and started anew despite coming so far. Days, weeks, finally a month has passed. Mint cookie finished the sheet.  Mint cookie bid Yogurt goodbye. His bags have been packed and the train will arrive in just a few minutes. The dark cookie closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

It’s now or never.

* * *

  
  


Chestnut coughed heavily, his throat felt scratchy and his head felt warm.

“Honestly, I always say how you shouldn’t push yourself.” Cocoa cookie softly scolded, putting a small cold folded cloth on Chestnut’s forehead. “I’m sorry, Cocoa... I’ll be sure to pay you back soon.”

Cocoa cookie sighed, “Chestnut, I’m doing this because I care about you. You don’t and shouldn’t have to pay me in return.” She said as she held onto Chestnut’s hand.

“But I-”

“No buts! You just rest up while I’m gonna go make some soup.”

Chestnut cookie hesitantly nodded, he felt like such an idiot. It was a miracle that he didn’t catch a cold from the first storm, miracles don’t happen twice, he should’ve known that. When he broke down in the middle of the streets he was found by Pudding cookie who came back just a few days ago.  She quickly called her sisters and together the quadruplets carried him to Cocoa cookie’s home, unsure of where else to go.

He’s not sure why he won’t just accept help from people, why he refuses moving in with Pudding and her sisters, why he won’t visit Cocoa more often despite her mother-like and caring nature. It always just seemed wrong for him to accept the kindness from others, he preferred giving it instead.

But, just as he always thought, refusing help from all the people surrounding him bit him in the butt. Even the extravagant Cheesecake offered him to join in during one of her personal performances from Mint cookie.

As he thought about the topic of Mint cookie,  _ ‘Just where the heck is this guy?’ _

He’s been searching the man out for weeks, wanting to give back the mask he dropped. When he first found the strange facial accessory he of course had no idea who it belonged to, but the more he asked the other towns’ people the more he became curious as to what this guy was like.

All the ladies, including the pudding quadruplets, gushed about him, all the guys flushed and seemed to highly admire him. Heck, even Sugar dust cookie who often secludes himself in the mountains seemed to know him. Everyone talked about him like he was a celebrity, weird how Chestnut never heard about him that much.

Thinking back, Chestnut remembers seeing him a few times on the streets and hearing a pleasant melody whenever he passed by the Cheesecake estate.

_ ‘Once I get better I should interview him for an article.’  _ … He’s doing it again, thinking about work even when he should be taking a break. He loves his job, but in recent times he’s been feeling a tad  _ too  _ determined, rushing himself to sell as much as possible. The reason his papers must be selling less are likely to have been caused because of his rushing. Writing whatever and instead of really researching throwing in a shocking headline that catches the eye.

He’s become no better than some massive company. Wanting to earn more and more in order to have enough to take the train out of town to...somewhere. Maybe the jungle, the seas, the roads!...But instead he lost so much profit that he had to skip meals for many days.

Chestnut cookie sighed at his own dumb behavior, reflecting on his actions and promising to himself that he won’t repeat the mistake again.

...Whether he’ll actually keep that promise or not, he’s not too sure.

  
  
A knock came from the door. “Chestnut, may I come in?”

“Ah, yes.”

Cocoa came in with a bowl of yellow bear jelly soup with a few drops of chocolate kisses mixed in. “Sorry it took so long, a friend came by and I nearly forgot about the stove still cooking.” She said while scratching her cheek. “...Thank you, Cocoa. Just the thought that you made this for me is enough even if it had gotten burned.”  Cocoa cookie took the now dry towel off Chestnut, “Daaw, You’re so sweet~” She cooed while ruffling his head. “Oh, your hair feels so nice…”

“H-Hey…” Chestnut complained with embarrassment. 

Just then, another knock came from the door, “Cocoa, is everything alright in there? I want you to hear this piece I made.” A deep voice asked from the other side. “Just a moment, Mint!”

_ ‘Mint?’ _

“As in, the violinist?”

“Oh! You know Mint cookie? I thought you weren’t interested in music much.”

Chestnut reached down to his satchel, taking out the opera mask. “This belongs to him, right?” He asked. Cocoa cookie stared at the mask with wide eyes. “W-Wow, I haven’t seen this since his performance in ‘Phantom of the oven’! Where did you find this?”

Chestnut shrugged his shoulders, “It was just lying around on the streets.”

“Ok…? Hold on, I’ll get him for you.” Cocoa opened the door where Mint was waiting, “Mint, this is Chestnut, the boy I was telling you about.” Mint cookie gasped in surprise, he didn’t expect the boy to be here, all of his courage suddenly went out the window when he stared into those large brunette eyes.

Chestnut carefully stood up and handed the mask over, “Here you go, mister.”

Mint cookie’s cheeks flushed a tad as he took the object, he forgot how bright Chestnut’s smile really was. Cocoa cookie tilted her head, Mint cookie acted unusually shy. He’s been acting strangely for a while, in a way she knew all too well during her talks with...Cherry blossom.

“ _ Ooooooh~! _ ” She sing songed, “So that’s what was going on~ Whatever happened to “My heart belongs to the crowd”, Hmm?” She smugly asked with finger quotations. 

“H-Hm? What are you insinuating?” Mint cookie panicked. “Hey hey, no worries, I know you’re no creep. Besides, we’re all just cookies.”

Chestnut looked back and forth at the two, he was the only one not understanding the situation it seemed.

“I’m gonna give you two some space~” Cocoa said as she closed the door and descended down the stairs. Leaving the two male cookies alone. At first there was an awkward silence. Chestnut and Mint weren’t the biggest talkers or conversation starters like Pudding or Cocoa, so just heading into it wasn’t easy.

“Do you...have a headache?” Mint cookie finally asked. “Not anymore, my head just feels a bit warm.”

“Then, um,” Mint cookie swallowed, “I made an arrangement for- Ehm, that is...would you like to hear it?”  Chestnut cookie thought about it, “I mean, I don’t know much about music but, sure?” 

The dark cookie nodded and put down his violin case, his hands started to become all sweaty and he struggled with opening it up, Chestnut cookie reached over with his little hands, grazing Mint’s. “Want me to help?” Mint cookie nodded, his face flushed.  Chestnut cookie sat back on the bed, kind of excited. Usually he doesn’t care much about classical or songs in general but somehow...he felt a sort of pull to Mint despite not knowing much about him.

Mint cookie went into position and took a deep breath. “I don’t have a piece for this name yet, but...I think it would suit better without one.”

With that, he finally played the piece for the one it was made for.

**Author's Note:**

> If this gets popular enough I might write a nsfw sequel or second chapter :))))


End file.
